Caitlin Foord Leads Matildas to Victory in World Cup Qualifying

The first meeting with Mexico stung. A 1-0 defeat at home, a flat performance, and a reminder that the road to the next World Cup will be anything but smooth.

Steph Catley didn’t sugar-coat it.

“It’s disappointing, but there’s also the realisation that we’re at the very start of a journey towards the World Cup,” she said after Saturday’s loss, a line that sounded as much like a challenge to her teammates as an explanation.

Four days later, Australia answered.

Foord leads the response

On Tuesday, the Matildas flipped the script with a 3-1 win over the same opponents, a result that carried more weight than a routine friendly. It was about pride, about standards, and about a team refusing to let a setback linger.

Caitlin Foord, wearing the captain’s armband on her 150th appearance, set the tone. She didn’t just lead; she imposed herself.

Her goal – Australia’s third of the night – summed up the authority of the performance. Foord rolled her defender with sheer strength, created a yard where there was none, and passed the ball into the far corner with the calm of a player who has seen just about everything international football can throw at her.

That finish lifted her to 41 international goals, making her the joint-third highest scorer in Australia’s history. A milestone on a milestone night.

Catley, who had spoken so honestly after the defeat, backed it up with a full 90 minutes in the return fixture, anchoring the performance from the back as Australia tightened up and showed a far sharper edge in both boxes.

Afterwards, Foord reflected on an international window that felt like a marker for this Matildas group.

“To reach 100 is obviously huge, and for myself, 150 as well,” she said, nodding to Catley’s own century of caps. “It’s nice to enjoy these moments together, and celebrate them, which we have during this series.”

The message was clear: the milestones matter, but only if they sit alongside results and progression. On Tuesday, Australia found both.

Lionesses win, but face play-off test

Across the world, the stakes were higher in Europe, where World Cup qualifying reached its sharp end.

At Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium, England needed a response of their own. They got it with a 3-0 win over Ukraine, a scoreline that restored some rhythm but not quite enough control over their destiny.

Alessia Russo led the line and stayed on for the full 90 minutes, with Chloe Kelly introduced on 64 minutes and Lotte Wubben-Moy watching from the bench. Russo’s influence stretched beyond her work rate and movement; she teed up Georgia Stanway for England’s second, a neat assist in a game the Lionesses never really let slip.

They finished with 15 points in Group C, level with Spain and separated only by goal difference. That slender margin proved brutal. Spain took the automatic World Cup spot; Sarina Wiegman’s side were pushed into the play-offs in October.

Russo didn’t hide her frustration.

“It’s nice to come back to England, play in front of all of our fans and get a win,” she said. “We also wanted to qualify automatically for the World Cup but now we’re going to the play-offs and that’s tough but it’s football. We had the toughest group playing Spain and we won five out of six games and have still not gone through.”

Five wins from six, and still no direct ticket. The performance level remains high, but England now stare at a high-pressure, all-or-nothing autumn.

Spain cruise, Sweden rally

Spain, by contrast, did what Spain tend to do in qualifying: they turned the final matchday into a procession.

Mariona Caldentey played the first half of a 6-1 demolition of Iceland on Tuesday, a result that not only sealed top spot but inflated the goal difference that ultimately kept England at arm’s length. It was qualification secured with a flourish.

Sweden’s route proved more complicated. At home to Italy, they trailed 2-0 and looked in danger of a damaging defeat. The response was defiant.

Smilla Holmberg and Stina Blackstenius both went the distance in a 2-2 draw that salvaged something from the night, but not enough to avoid the play-offs. Sweden finished third in Group A with eight points from six games, a tally that underlined both their resilience and their inconsistency.

North American tests and a German prospect

Across the Atlantic, the work was different but no less demanding.

Emily Fox logged heavy minutes for USA in a double-header with Brazil. She played the full 90 in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat away from home, then started again on Wednesday, this time featuring for the first half of a tighter 1-0 win, also in Brazil. Two games, two contrasting results, and another valuable block of international experience for one of the USA’s key full-backs.

Canada, meanwhile, enjoyed a far more comfortable evening. Olivia Smith played 63 minutes as they dismantled Costa Rica 6-0 away on Wednesday in a friendly that quickly turned into a showcase. For Smith, it was a chance to stretch her legs and sharpen her timing in a side overflowing with attacking intent.

At under-23 level, Anneke Borbe continued her own development path, coming on at half-time in Germany’s 2-2 friendly draw with Denmark on Monday. It was another step for a young goalkeeper learning the rhythms of international football.

From Foord’s record-breaking night in green and gold to England’s looming play-off gauntlet, the international window closed with a familiar message: reputations help, but the next World Cup will have to be earned, every inch of the way.